Behold the Stars

Tip #19: Write a Personal Mission Statement February 28, 2008

What is a personal mission statement? According to Laurie Beth Jones’ The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life, a personal mission statement is a “brief, succinct, and focused statement of purpose that can be used to initiate, evaluate, and refine all of life’s activities.” Steven Covey says creating one is a way of “connecting with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction that comes in fulfilling it.” In other words, it’s a quick summary of what matters — to you.

The process of creating a personal mission statement is fairly straightforward, but not as easy as it looks. To write a statement that resonates with you in a fundamental way will take some effort. I suggest that you get one of the many books on personal mission statements (I used and recommend Laurie Beth Jones’ The Path, mentioned above) and let them walk you through the process. Then set aside some quiet time, and get to work.

As you go through the process, it’s important that you constantly ask yourself, “Does this matter to me, really, or do I just think it should matter to me?” Remember, this is about your mission, not what you think you should want as a mission. Absolute integrity to yourself, your dreams, and your values is essential. A mission statement based on what you think would impress others will not motivate you or keep you on track.

I created one for myself during the deepest, darkest days of the Dark Period. I was desperately trying to get myself straight, so I had no interest in wasting my time on anything but the truth. I spent three days sitting in my favorite grungy, bohemian coffee shop in south Austin, Texas, and wrote like crazy. Here’s what I came up with: